Educated in Montreal at Sir George Williams University and Collège Sainte-Marie de Montréal, he was a telephone technician.
[2] After serving two years on Halifax County Council,[2] MacKay entered provincial politics in the 1978 election, defeating Liberal incumbent George Doucet in the new Sackville riding.
[5] Controversy arose during the campaign, when MacKay admitted he used a false address to claim expenses as a member living away from the capital.
[9] In February 2004, a political comeback bid ended when MacKay's candidacy for the Conservative nomination in Halifax West for the 2004 federal election was rejected by the party.
[9][10] MacKay attempted to return to provincial politics in the 2006 election, running for the Nova Scotia Liberal Party in Hants East,[11] but finished third.